Tom Brady’s roles as owner vs. commentator: Tom Brady has somehow seen his relationship with the game of football become more entangled since retiring from his playing career. The 48-year-old Patriots legend is now a minority owner of the Raiders while simultaneously working as Fox Sports’ lead color commentator for its NFL broadcasts.
The possible conflicts of interest with this dual reality bubbled back to the surface when Brady was spotted wearing a headset in the Raiders’ coaching box during the Monday Night Football loss to the Chargers on Sept. 15.
It was brought up and discussed during ESPN’s coverage of the game, with NFL analyst Peter Schrager reporting that Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly speaks with Brady “two to three times a week,” going through film and game plans.
Raiders head coach Pete Carroll later said that the claim made by Schrager was “not accurate” per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. Still, he added an additional quote that outlined a fairly direct relationship between Brady and the Raiders’ staff.
“We have conversations. I talk to Tom, Chip talks to Tom regularly,” Caroll said, per McFadden. “We have a tremendous asset. And we all get along and respect each other. We just talk about life and football. He has great insight, so we’re lucky to have him as an owner.”
Given Brady’s theoretical access to teams’ game-plans (or other relevant information) as a broadcaster attending off-the-record production meetings, questions have been raised about possible conflicts of interest due to his stake in the Raiders.
This quickly became a point of conversation, with former Patriot (and ex-Brady teammate) Jason McCourty among those to weigh in. Now an NFL commentator himself, McCourty described the possible advantages a person could gain from the television production meetings.
“It’s such a tough question, because it’s so different depending on the culture,” McCourty acknowledged during a “Get Up!” segment on Tuesday morning. “But in those meetings, you are fully discussing what the team is going [to do] on that week, specific to a single game. So you may get into what players are available for the game that given Sunday. You get into a little bit of what is your philosophy is going into that game. So you do get a lot of information that, if you went out and just spread it out, it would be very difficult for those teams.
“That is a more relaxed setting where you can let your guard down some, but at the same time, most head coaches when they walk into that meeting still understand you’re a part of the media,” McCourty added, “and they’re not going to tell you the entire game plan.”
The larger level conversation drifted more to an analysis of optics than any perceived ethical issue with Brady specifically.
“It’s a little bit OK now because the Raiders aren’t very good yet,” said former NFL center and fellow ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday. “Let’s say [Las Vegas] starts leading the AFC West, and they start becoming the number one [offense] and he’s calling their games, it just becomes very sticky in my opinion. And I’m not saying Brady’s doing anything wrong. He’s following the rules.”
It was quickly recognized that Brady will call an upcoming Bears-Cowboys game in Week 3, immediately prior to the Raiders playing the Bears in Week 4. Could Brady become privy to important information about the Bears, and then simply pass that information along to his own team?
As Domonique Foxworth pointed out, the issue is about perception.
“The thing is, you do not want the perception [of] opportunity for any impropriety,” said Foxworth on the “Get Up!” segment. “And if you’re going to take this risk, I would think that you would take this risk because the benefit was so great.”
Yet as Foxworth pointed out, Brady has no distinguished himself to this point as a notably great commentator. In his view, it creates an issue for the league’s current structure.
“I would be upset or uncomfortable if I was a player on a team.”
Granted, the NFL has imposed rules pertaining to Brady’s status as owner and commentator. In 2024, the league announced that Brady was barred from attending production meetings, and “may not have access to team facilities, players or coaches.”
However, those rules were eased prior to the 2025 season. Under the updated conditions, Brady is now allowed to attend production meetings virtually, but is still barred from doing so in-person (or being allowed inside other teams’ facilities).
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Athletics tonight at Fenway Park at 6:45 p.m.
This Sunday, the Patriots will host the Steelers at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Red Sox prospect Connelly Early will start his first game at Fenway Park this week
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel says defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is in good spirits and expected to return
Drake Maye talks silencing critics, Mike Vrabel’s sideline sprint, and more on WEEI
Newton’s Veronica Burton takes home WNBA Most Improved Player Award
ESPN announces ‘Believers,’ an upcoming Red Sox documentary series produced by Ben Affleck
Mike Vrabel is ‘happy’ for Parker Romo’s perfect start, not ready to discuss moving on from Borregales
Revolution fire head coach Caleb Porter
Some Drake Maye analysis: Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discussed Maye’s improved performance from Week 1 to Week 2.
On this day: In 1965, 21-year-old Red Sox right-hander Dave Morehead threw a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cleveland. It would be Boston’s last no-hitter until Hideo Nomo in 2001 (and the last at Fenway Park until Derek Lowe in 2002).
The day was also notable for the firing of Mike Higgins, Boston’s general manager. Having presided over a series of losing seasons — culminating with a particularly shambolic display in 1965 (Boston would finish with 100 losses — Higgins was finally let go by owner Tom Yawkey.